Ice tray and grid structure



July 3, 1951 K. T. WHITE ICE TRAY AND GRID STRUCTURE Filed March 15,1945 INVENTOR. Ken/mfh Z'Wh/fe.

ATT ORNE Y5 Patented July 3, 1951 ICE TRAY AND GRID STRUCTURE Kenneth T.White, Grosse Ile, Mich, assignor, by mesne assignments, to said KennethT.

White, as trustee Application March 15, 1945, Serial No. 582,905

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to an ice tray and grid structure. It hasto do particularly with a freezing tray or pan and an improved removablegrid structure therefore for containing a substance, such as water, tobe congealed or frozen in the freezing unit of a refrigerator.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improvedgrid structure and tray for producing a pluralit of individual ice cubesor blocks, which is so constructed and arranged as to permit the readyrelease and removal of one or more of the individual ice cubes withoutdisturbin the position or condition of the remaining ice cubes, andwithout applying or creating any back pressure on the cube next to theone being released.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved grid structureof the foregoin character in which longitudinally spaced pairs oftransverse separators or fins are mounted upon and connected to alengthwise partition with the members of the pairs being disposed onopposite sides thereof and which are capable of independent oscillatingor swinging movement relative to the partition for the purposeof freeingor releasing individual ice cubes, and wherein the point of connectionbetween each'separator and the partition is located outside the plane ofthe separator.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved gridstructure in which the movement of the transverse separators relative tothe lengthwise partition is limited in both directions, and wherein saidseparators are maintained normally in predetermined upwardly inclinedoperative or freezing positions.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved grid structurein accordance with the preceding paragraph in which the limiting of themovement of the separators relative to the Lil partition is effected bymeans carried either by the individual separators or the partition andcooperable one with the other when said separators are in predeterminedpositions.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved gridstructure in which the individual separators are of relatively lightreinforced construction capable of withstanding force or pressureapplied thereto by an operator or the like tool for effecting theirmovement to release the individual .cubes.

Another object is to provide an improved ice tray and grid structurewherein the end walls of the tray extend upwardly at different angleswith relation to one another and to the bottom of the tray and whereinthe grid partition has correspondingly angled ends whereby the grid willinterfit with the tray only when the angled ends and angled end wallsare brought into their proper cooperative relationship.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved gridstructure and tray of the foregoing character wherein the individualseparators of the front pair of separators located adjacent the frontend wall of the tray are preferably engaged and moved forwardly towardsaid front wall by an operator or tool to release the individual cubeslocated in front of said pair of separators, and wherein the separatorsof the remaining pairs may also be moved or shifted individually in aforward direction to release additional individual ice cubes.

Another object of the invention is to provide separators for a grid inaccordance with that above referred to in which each of the separatorsfunctions, during its initial movement toward the front end wall of thetray, to lift or peel the ice cube resting against its forward surfacefrom the bottom of the tray to thereby efiect the quick and eas releaseof said ice cube.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved gridstructure and tray or pan Wherein the individual separators of the frontpair of separators located at the front end of the tray may be engagedand moved forwardly by a detachable hand-manipulated operator or tool torelease the ice cubes located in front of said pair of separators, andwherein the remaining separators of the remaining pairs may be moved orshifted individually by hand in a forward direction to releaseadditional and successive individual ice cubes until any desired numberof cubes has been released.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedhand-grasped operator or tool adapted to be releasably applied to theupper portions of the transverse separator members of an ice tray gridstructure for effectin the movement of the separator members,individually, to readily free and release individual ice cubes, thefreeing and releasing of a cube being effected without disturbing theposition or condition of the remaining ice cubes in the grid structure,and with-out creating back pressure upon said remaining cubes.

Generally speaking, my present invention relates to an ice tray or panand a removable grid structure in which the tray and the removablegridstructure are so formed and proportioned J as to be capable of beingnested together incooperative relationship only when the grid structureis properly positioned with relation to the tray or pan. The gridstructure comprises a longitudinal divider or partition andlongitudinally spaced pairs of separator members, the individual membersof the pairs being disposed on opposite sides of the partition andmounted thereupon for oscillating, tilting, or arcuate movement inopposite directions relative to the partition. The pivot or point ofoscillation for each of the separators is outside or offset from theplane of the separator in such a manner that the axis of oscillationdoes not die within the plane of the separator and the line about whichthe sepa- I rator moves is preferably disposed at an angle ofapproximately 90 with relation to the partition. The grid structure isprovided with means for limiting the movement in opposite directions ofthe separators and each of the individual separators is so formed andproportioned as to be capable of movement toward ice cube-releasing poisnot limited in its application to the details of construction andarrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since theinvention is capable of other embodiments and of beingpracticed orcarried out in various ways. It is to be understood also that thephraseology and terminology employed herein is r for the purpose ofdescription and not of limitasition to release an individual ice cubewithout affecting the position or condition of the other separators andice cubes. Additionally, each of the separator members is provided withimproved means effective to lift or .peel an individual ice cube fromthe bottom of the tray or pan during the initial movement of theseparator toward its cube-releasing position.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention willappear from the following description and appended claims whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part ofthis specification wherein like reference characters designatecorresponding parts in the several views.

In said drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of an improved ice tray and grid structureembodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view, partly broken away, of theforward portion of the structure shown in Fig. l, and showing theapplication to one of the separator members or fins, of a detachablereleasing operator or tool embodying the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the structure shown in Fig.l and illustrating one arrangement of the inclination or angularity ofthe different pairs of separator members of the grid when in theiroperative or freezing position.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of the frontend of the structure, indicating the relative positions of the partswith an ice cube formed in one of the front cells of the structure.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the ice cube of Fig. 4after its initial release from the cell by means of the operator or toolembodying the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section taken substantiallyalong the line 6-6 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows andillustrating the stop means for limiting the movement of the separatorsrelative to the divider or partition of the grid structure.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an improved operator or tool embodyingthe present invention; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of my improved ice tray and grid structurecontaining a capacity load of ice cubes and illustrating one manner ofgrasping and applying the operator or tool of Fig. '7 prior to releasingan ice cube.

Before explaining in detail the present invent it is to be understoodthat the invention tion, and it is not intended to limit the inventionclaimed herein beyond the requirements of the prior art. 7

Presently known ice tray and grid structures for use in connection withhousehold and other refrigerating systems leave much to be desired inthe way of practical construction, utility and economy. With many suchtrays and grids it is necessary to either dip the tray into a pan of hotwater or invert it under a hot water faucet in order to release the gridand its ice cubes. This often merely permits the grid to be removed withall of the cubes still remaining in place, it requiring additional hotwater treatment to remove the individual cubes from the grid. This isnot only unsatisfactory and bothersome but effects a substantial wasteof the frozen cubes, This is particularly true in the event only a fewof the cubes are desired'for use. In order to salvage the other cubeswhich have been loosened, they must again be placed in the cells of thegrid which is a tedious and difficult operation.

Other grids of the, prior art have been arranged as to effect therelease of the ice cubes mechanically but in most instances the releasing operation was not only difficult to perform but eifected therelease, or at least the loosening, of all, or substantially all, of thecubes in the structure. Operators have been employed in the prior art inan attempt to acuate the separators and release the ice cubes but noneof such prior art devices was capable of effecting the quick and easyrelease of an individual ice cube, or even a pair of such cubes, withoutalso disturbing at least some of the remaining cubes. Some suchoperators have been fixed to grid. It is, therefore, one of theimportant pur-. poses of my present invention to provide an improved icetray and grid structure which is of relatively simple construction, easyand rela' tively inexpensive to manufacture, and one which is soconstructed and arranged as to permit the quick and easy release of asingle in-' dividual ice cube without in any way disturbing or affectingthe position or condition of the other ice cubes in the structure.Moreover, it is a further important purpose of my present invention toprovide an improved structure of this nature in which, after the cubeor-cubes at the front end of the structure have been released by myimproved operator or tool, additional ice cubes may be released andremoved individually by the easy hand-manipulation of the otherseparators of the structure.

Referring now particularly to the drawings I0 represents as a whole, theimproved ice tray or pan and removable grid structure of the presentinvention. The structure comprises two units, namely the ice tray or panshown as a whole at H and the removable grid structure, shown as a Wholeat l2. The pan, as shown, is of oblong or rectangular shape andcomprises a bottom l3, side walls M, a rear end substantially verticalwall l5 and a front upwardly and outwardly inclined end wall I6. Asshown, the pan or tray II has a surroundingdepending finish ing andstrengthening flange IT. The tray or pan may be formed from any suitablematerial, such as aluminum or other metal, or the like, and is ofsubstantially rigid or inflexible nature.

The removable grid member of the present invention comprises, as shown,a substantially centrally disposed longitudinal or lengthwise partitionor divider l8 whose rear end or edge portion I9 is substantiallyvertical to correspond to and interfit with the rear end wall l5 of thetray. The opposite or front end portion or edge of the partition isupwardly and outwardly inclined at an angle corresponding to and adaptedto interfit and cooperate with the front end wall l5 of the tray. Thelower portion of the rear edge or end I9 of the partition is providedwith a radius at |9a which corresponds with a similar radius |5a at thelower end of the rear wall I5. The lower portion of the front edge orend 26 of the partition has a radius 20a which corresponds with asimilar radius 16a of the tray. It will be understood that by soconstructing the end walls .of the tray and the opposite end edges ofthe partition, the grid will only fit within the tray when the parts areproperly aligned or positioned. Thus, the front end of the grid isalways located at the front end of the tray or pan. Moreover, it will beseen that the partition, and as well, the other parts of the grid to bedescribed below, have .a relatively snug fit with the tray or pan.

The grid structure I 2 includes a plurality of pairs of longitudinallyspaced separators or fins, each of the individual separators ortransverse members being indicated at 2|. The separators are disposed inpairs with the individual separators being disposed at opposite sides ofthe longitudinal partition or divider l8 and it will be seen that whenthe several pairs of separators 2| are disposed in their operative orfreezing positions, the two separators of each pair are substantially intransverse end to end alignment crosswise of the tray or pan .|.-l,.

Each of the individual separator members '21 is, as shown, provided with.a pair of spaced upright reinforcing rib members 22,, such ribs, asshown, being formed preferably from the material of the separator in anysuitable manner and by any desired method or process. Each separator 2|at its upper inner edge adjacent the longitudinal partition 18 isprovided with pro- ,jecting portion, extension or ear 23 which overliesthe upper edge of the partition 18. The separator .2| is provided alongits inner upright edge with a flange or angularly disposed portion 24,it being noted that said flange or portion terminates at its upper endat a point slightly below the projection 23. The lower end of the flangeis provided with a curved forward edge or radius at 24a whichcorresponds generally to the shape or curvature of the bottom of the panin the vicinity of the pan radius l-Ga, and the remain-- ing portion ofthe bottom edge of the flange extends in a plane substantially parallelto the plane of the tray bottom l3 when the separator 2| is in itsinclined operative freezing position, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4. Ifdesired, the pair of separators 2| adjacent the front end wall of thetray may be of somewhat heavier gauge metal than the remainingseparators.

The separator members 2| may be attached to the longitudinal partition|8 in-any suitable manher so that they may have a limited forward andback oscillating or swinging movement relative 6 to the partition, whendesired. As shown, each pair of transversely aligned separators 2| ismovably connected to and mounted on the partition by means of a pivotpin or rivet 25 which is passed through aligned holes formed in theflanges 24 adjacent the radii 24a and through a similarly formed holelocated adjacent the bottom edge of the partition. Thus, the pair ofaligned separator members, while being mounted upon common pivot means25, are capable of relative swinging or arcuate movement, eachindependently of the other. It is to be noted that the pivot 25 islocated closely adjacent to the radius 24a of each flange so that, whenone of the separators is moved forwardly about the pivot, it immediatelymoves away from the ice cube in the cell at the rear of the separatorand thus the movement of said separator forwardly does not exert anyback pressure on the ice cube in the next adjacent cell. Moreover, itwill be seen that the pivot or point of oscillation 25 is oifset fromits separator member or members 2| so that the axis of oscillation doesnot lie within the plane of the separator. This is an important feature7 of the present invention.

Each of the separators 2| is provided at its lower edge with a forwardlyextending gradually curved lip portion 26. This lip portion 26 extendsthroughout the width of the separator 2| and terminates at its inner endadjacent the flange 24. It will be noted that the lip 26 has a curvatureor radius which corresponds to the curvature or shape of the lower rearedge of the flange.

As best seen in Fig. 3 and as shown, merely by way of example, the pairof separators 2| at the front end l6 of the pan extend upwardly in aninclined plane and at an angle which is somewhat greater than the angleof inclination of the remaining pairs of separator members when all ofsaid members are in their operative freezing positions, as seen in thisfigure. Merely by way of example, the front pair of separator members 2|is inclined at an angle of approximately 25 degrees, whereas theremaining pairs of separators 2| are upwardly inclined at an angle ofapproximately 20 degrees. It will be understood, however, that thevarious pairs of separator members 2| may be inclined at any desired andsuitable angle which may be the same for all members so that when inoperating positions, they will be substantially parallel. I havediscovered that by placing the front pair of separators relatively closeto the front end of the partition l3 which would place them, when thegrid is. assembled with the pan closely adjacent to the front end walll6 thereof, the ice cubes 0 in the cells or compartments at the frontend of the grid structure may be released and removed with greater easeand facility by virtue of this location of the separator members andalso by virtue of the angle of inclination of said members. As seen inFig. 5, when the separator 2| is moved about its pivot 25 in a directiontoward the front end wall l6 of the pan, the separator immediately movesaway from the ice cube C in the next adjacent cell or compartment, theinitial movement of the separator lifting or peeling. the ice cube Cfrom the bottom I3 of the tray, with the forward surface of said icecube tending to ride or move upwardly along the inclined front wall I6of the pan and into position to be removed.

After the cubes C in the front pair of cells have been removed, it is arelatively Simple matforward direction, the separator 2| ter .to swingthe separators 2| of the nextadjacent pair forwardly to likewise releasethe ice cubes C It will be understood that by virtue of the constructionand arrangement of the separators 2|, the removal of an ice cube fromone cell will not cause any back pressure to be applied to a cube in thenext. adjacent cell and will, in no wise, affect the condition orposition of the last-named cube.

It is desirable to provide an operator or tool for detachable engagementwith the upper portion of a separator 2| for the purpose of swinging ormoving said separator about its pivot 25 to release an ice cube locatedin the cell whose one wall is formed or provided by the separator. Forthis purpose, I have provided an operator or tool such as that shown asa whole at 21 in Figs. 2, 5, '7 and 8. As shown, the operator or toolcomprises a relatively flat body portion 28 having a handle 29projecting from one side thereof and a bifurcated portion $6 located atthe opposite side of the body portion. As shown, the handle has arelatively long gripping portion to be grasped in the manner,illustrated in Fig. 8. The bifurcated portion 31] forms, as shown, anextension of the body portion 28 and comprises two separator engagingmembers or portions 3i and 32, the portion 3| being shown as of somewhatgreater length than the corresponding portion 32. These portions 3| and32' are of substantially the same Width the'body portion 28 and arespaced apart to provide a slot or recess 33 therebetween. For thepurpose of reinforcing and strengthening the lower section of theoperator 21, the separator engaging portion, the body portion, and theadjacent end portion of the handle 29 are provided on opposite faceswithlongitudinal reinforcing ribs 34 providing therebetween for a portion oftheir length, a longitudinal socket 35. Additionally, and to providegreater strength at the separator engaging end of the operator 21', theside edges of the members or portions Si and 32 and the integral bodyportion 28 are provided with reinforcing flanges 36. By virtue of thepresent structure, the operator 2'! may be formed from relatively lightweight metal, such as aluminum, so as to be of extremely light weightyet having sufficient strength and rigidity to perform its intendedfunction without bending in use or causing damage to bers 2| of the gridstructure.

Assuming now that an ice tray and grid structure such as that shown inFig. 8 and containing a series of ice cubes C and C has been removedfrom the freezing compartmentof a refrigerator and it is desired torelease and remove one or more of the ice cubes, the handle portion 29of the operator or tool 21 is grasped by the hand and the separatorengaging portion 3i! of'the operator is brought into engagement with theupper exposed portion of one of the separator members 2| locatedadjacent the front end wall N of the ice tray. It will be noted thatbecause of the width and depth of the slot 33, a substantial portion ofthe separator 2| will be engaged by the operator. By moving the operator21 in a is caused to swing in an arc toward the front end wall 56. Theseparator 2| moves forwardly about its supporting pivot 25 away from thenext adjacent ice cube C see Fig. 5, with the initial movement of theseparator lifting or peeling the;ice cube C from the bottom it of thetray. Further arouate forward movement of the separator 2| under forexample, as i .50 the separator mem non-freezing position.

the influence of the operator or tool 21, causes the released cube 0 toride up the adjacent inclined front wall I6 of the pan in the mannerindicated in Fig. 5. This action of the operator in releasing andremoving the cube C causes no disturbance whatsoever to the adjacent icecube C nor will such action transmit any back pressure to the cube CAfter the cube C has been released, thev opera: tor. 21 is removed andif an additional cube is desired, the operator may be applied to theother separator member 2| of the front pair and the operation repeatedto remove another ice cube C. Thereafter, if desired, additional icecubes C may be removed by repeating the operation above described. Itis, however; usually unnecessary to employ the operator 21 in theremoval of the cubes C after the two front cubes C have been removed.These adjacent cubes may be removed by hand by grasping the upper endportion of the separator 2| above the ice cube 0 and swinging itforward. 7

It will be seen that the longitudinal socket 35 formed by thereinforcing ribs 34 of the operator receives and cooperates with theinner rib 22 of the pair of reinforcing ribs of the separator 2| whenthe operator is applied to a separator. Since the member 3| of thegripping portion 39 of the operator is slightly longer than thecorresponding member 32 thereof, it will be easier to engage theoperator with the upper exposed portion of a separator member 2|.

The previously described inwardly projecting portions or ears 23 ofaligned pairs of separator members 2|, see particularly Fig. 6, engagethe upper edge of the longitudinal partition l8 when the separators 2|of the various pairs are in their normal or operative freezingpositions. Thus, these extensions provide stop means to prevent themembers 2| from being moved about their pivots 25 beyond a predeterminedpoint. In this manner, all of the pairs of separators are maintained intheir proper inclined or angular positions and both members of a pairare likewise' maintained in transverse alignment when the parts are intheir operative or freezing positions. Moreover, the projections 23 alsofunction as stops to prevent the separators from being moved beyond apredetermined point in their opposite directions toward inoperative orIn this connection the members 23 I are particularly useful when thegrid unit i2 is removed from the tray or pan II and prevent theseparator members from swinging downward beyond either their normaloperative or their inoperative positions with relation to thelongitudinal partition l8. If desired, the stop or limiting members 23may be provided on the partition H3 or on the tray itself, in lieu ofbeing on the separators 2|.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. In combination with a freezing tray for use in a refrigerating unit,a removable grid structure comprising a partition extendinglongitudinally of said structure and having a relatively snug fit withthe opposite ends of said tray, a series of pairs of transverseseparators positioned in spaced relationship lengthwise of the partitionand projecting laterally therefrom to form with said partition and traywalls ice block comp-artments on opposite sides of said longitudinalpartition, pivot means connecting each of the pairs of separators tosaid longitudinal partition whereby to permit oscillating movement inopposite directions of each separator of a pair in a directionlongitudinally of and relative to the longitudinal partition and aboutsaid pivot connecting means independently of the other separator of thesaid pair and of all of the other separators of the series, the movementof a separator in one direction longitudinally of the tray effecting therelease and movement of a single ice block within a compartment withoutdisturbing the position of the other ice blocks in the othercompartments, each of said laterally projecting separators havin stopmeans engageable with the upper edge of the longitudinal partitionwhereby to limit the extent of movement of the separator in bothdirections longitudinally of the grid structure, means on the separatorsfor reinforcing and strengthening the same, each of said separatorsterminating at its lower edge in a gradually curved forwardly extendinglip disposed in engagement with the bottom of the freezing tray whensaid separator is in its normal upwardly inclined operative freezingposition, said pivot connecting means being located at one side of eachpair of separators whereby the axis of oscillation of each separator oreach pair of separators lies without the plane of the same.

2. A structure according to claim 1, wherein each separator is providedwith a forwardly projecting flange at its inner upright edge and whereinthe pivot means for movably connecting each separator or pair ofseparators to the longitudinal partition is located adjacent the lowerforward edge of the flange whereby to place the axis oscillation foreach separator or pair of separators outside the plane thereof.

3. A structure according to claim 1, wherein the pair of separators ofthe series located adjacent the front end of the tray is positionednormally at a difierent angle of inclination from the normal angle ofinclination of the remaining pairs of separators of the grid structurewhen all of the said pairs of separators are in their operative freezingpositions.

4. A grid for dividing a substantially rigid pan member into a pluralityof ice containing cells, said grid comprising a longitudinal partition,a series of pairs of separators positioned in spaced relationshiplengthwise of the partition with the individual members of the pairsbeing disposed on opposite sides of said partition and projectinglaterally therefrom toward the side walls of the pan member when thegrid is assembled with such pan member, pivot means connecting the pairsof separators to said longitudinal partition to permit oscillatingmovement in opposite directions of each separator of a, pair lengthwiseof and relative to the longitudinal partition and about said pivotconnecting means independently of the other separator of said pair andof all of the remaining separators of the grid whereby the movement of aseparator independently of all of the other separators in one directionwill release and move a single ice block in an ice containing cellwithout disturbing the other ice blocks in the remaining ice containingcells, each of said independent separators having stop means engageablewith the upper edge of the partition to limit the extent of oscillatinmovement of the separator in both directions lengthwise of the grid,each of said separators also having means for reinforcing andstrengthening the same, and each of said independently movableseparators terminating at its lower edge in a gradually curved forwardlyextending lip portion disposed in engagement with the bottom of thefreezin tray when said separator is in its normal upwardly inclinedoperative freezing position, said pivot connecting means being locatedoutside the plane of each pair of separators so that the axis ofoscillation thereof does not lie within the plane of the separators.

5. In combination with an ice tray, a removable grid structure fordividing said tray into a plurality of individual open-top compartmentsin which individual blocks of ice are to be formed, said grid comprisinga longitudinal upright member or members and a plurality of uprighttransverse members arranged in multiples crosswise of the ice tray, saidtransverse members being disposed substantially at right angles to thelongitudinal plane of said longitudinal upright memher and projectinglaterally therefrom, said transverse members also being pivotallyconnected in multiples to and being supported by the longitudinalupright member for limited independent oscillatable movement lengthwiseof the grid structure independently of one another, stop means forlimiting movement of said laterally projecting members lengthwise of thegrid, and means for pivotally connecting the laterally projectingmembers to the longitudinal upright member or members for movement ofany one of said members independently of all of the other laterallyprojecting members and of the longitudinal upright member or members,said pivot means being so positioned as to be offset from the plane ofthe laterally projecting members to which it is connected.

6. In combination with a freezing tray for containin a substance, suchas water, to be congealed or frozen in the freezing unit of arefrigerator, a removable grid structure comprising a partitionextending longitudinally of said structure and having a relatively snugfit with the 0pposite ends of said tray, a series of pairs of transverseseparators positioned in spaced relation ship longitudinally along saidpartition, the individual separators of each pair being independentlymovable with relation to one another and to said partition and beindisposed on opposite sides of the partition and projecting laterallytherefrom, said separators together with the partition and tray wallsforming individual ice block compartments on said opposite sides fromend to end of said freezing tray, and pivot means located in thepartition closely adjacent to the bottom of the tray for oscillatablyconnecting each of the pairs of separators together and to saidlongitudinal partition whereby each individual separator of a pair ofseparators may be moved about its pivot means relatively to thepartition in a direction lengthwise of the grid structure and trayindependently of the other separator of the pair and of all of the otherseparators of said grid structure to release and move a single block ofice from a compartment without disturbing other blocks of ice in othercompartments, each of said separators havin means engageable with saidlongitudinal partition whereby to limit the movement of the separatorwhen oscillated from one position to another position.

'7. In combination with a freezing tray for containing a substance, suchas water, to be congealed or frozen in the freezing unit of arefrigerator, a removable grid structure comprising a partitionextending longitudinally of said structure and having a relatively snugfit with the opposite ends of said tray, a series of pairs of transverseseparators positioned in spaced relationship longitudinally along saidpartition, the individual from, said separators together with thepartition and tray walls forming individual ice block compartments onsaid opposite sides from end to end of said freezing tray, and pivotmeans located in the partition closely adjacent to the bottom of thetray for oscillatably connecting each of the pairs of separatorstogether and to said longitudinal partition whereby each individualseparator of a pair of separators may be moved about its pivot meansrelatively to the partition in a direction lengthwise of the gridstructure and tray independently of the other separator of the pair andof all of the other separators of said grid structure to release andmove a single block of ice from a compartment without disturbing otherblocks of ice in other compartments, the outer edges of each pair ofseparators having a relatively snug lit with the adjacent side walls ofthe ireezing tray, and each of the separators having spaced uprightreinforcing ribs for strengthening the same.

8. A grid structure for dividing a substantially rigid pan member into aplurality of ice containing cells, said grid comprising a longitudinalpartition, a plurality of pairs of transverse separators positioned inspaced relationship lengthwise along said partition with the individualsepara tors of each pair being independently movable with relation toone another and to the partition and being disposed on opposite sidesthereof and projecting laterally therefrom to form, when placed in apan, cells on said opposite sides, and pivot means located adjacent thelower longitudinal edge of the partition and the lower edges of eachpair of separators for movably connecting each pair of separatorstogether and to said longitudinal partition whereby each of theindividual separators of a pair of separators may be moved in an arcuatepath in a direction lengthwise of said grid independently of the otherseparator of the pair and of all of the other separators of the grid torelease and move a single block of ice from a cell without disturbingthe blocks of ice in the other cells, each of said 12 separators havinga projecting portion engageable with said partition for limiting thearcuate movement of the separator from one position to another position.

9. A grid structure for dividing a substantially rigid pan member into aplurality of ice containing cells, said grid comprising a longitudinalpartition, a plurality of pairs of transverse separators positioned inspaced relationship lengthwise along said partition with the individualseparators of each pair being independently movable with relation to oneanother and to the partition and being disposed on opposite sidesthereof and projecting laterally therefrom to form, when placed in apan, cells on said opposite sides, and pivot means located adjacent thelower longitudinal edge of the partition and the lower edges of eachpair of separators for movably connecting each pair of separatorstogether and to said longitudinal partition whereby each of theindividual separators of a pair of separators may be moved in an arcuatepath in a direction lengthwise of said grid independently of the otherseparator of the pair and of all of the other separators of the grid torelease and move a single block of ice from a cell without disturbingthe blocks of ice in the other cells, each of said separators beingprovided with reinforcing and strengthening means and the lower edge ofeach thereof terminating in a gradually curved forwardly extending lipportion engaging the bottom of the pan member when the separator is inits normally inclined position.

KENNETH T. WHITE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

